diff --git a/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go b/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go
index 7fa62c4b35..996a4cf240 100644
--- a/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go
+++ b/mantle/cmd/kola/qemuexec.go
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ var (
 
 	ignitionFragments []string
 
-	forceConfigInjection bool
+	forceConfigInjection      bool
+	propagateInitramfsFailure bool
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -63,6 +64,8 @@ func init() {
 	cmdQemuExec.Flags().IntVarP(&memory, "memory", "m", 0, "Memory in MB")
 	cmdQemuExec.Flags().StringVarP(&ignition, "ignition", "i", "", "Path to ignition config")
 	cmdQemuExec.Flags().BoolVarP(&forceConfigInjection, "inject-ignition", "", false, "Force injecting Ignition config using guestfs")
+	cmdQemuExec.Flags().BoolVar(&propagateInitramfsFailure, "propagate-initramfs-failure", false, "Error out if the system fails in the initramfs")
+
 }
 
 func renderFragments(config v3types.Config) (*v3types.Config, error) {
@@ -141,8 +144,13 @@ func runQemuExec(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Ignore errors
-	_ = inst.Wait()
-
-	return nil
+	if propagateInitramfsFailure {
+		err = inst.WaitAll()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		return nil
+	} else {
+		return inst.Wait()
+	}
 }
diff --git a/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go b/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go
index dbaeeebd31..9d49f255b6 100644
--- a/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go
+++ b/mantle/cmd/kola/testiso.go
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func testPXE(inst platform.Install, completionfile string) error {
 	}
 	defer mach.Destroy()
 
-	err = mach.QemuInst.Wait()
+	err = mach.QemuInst.WaitAll()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/aws/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/aws/machine.go
index f97705d7a4..e178917605 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/aws/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/aws/machine.go
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ func (am *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return am.cluster.SSH(am, cmd)
 }
 
+func (am *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (am *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(am, am.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/azure/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/azure/machine.go
index b9ef0002dd..3d58847a41 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/azure/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/azure/machine.go
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ func (am *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return am.cluster.SSH(am, cmd)
 }
 
+func (am *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Re-fetch the Public & Private IP address for the event that it's changed during the reboot
 func (am *machine) refetchIPs() error {
 	var err error
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/do/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/do/machine.go
index beff9df18f..24e413e609 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/do/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/do/machine.go
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ func (dm *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return dm.cluster.SSH(dm, cmd)
 }
 
+func (dm *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (dm *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(dm, dm.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/esx/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/esx/machine.go
index 793fff998d..b6811c0adb 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/esx/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/esx/machine.go
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ func (em *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return em.cluster.SSH(em, cmd)
 }
 
+func (em *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (em *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(em, em.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/gcloud/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/gcloud/machine.go
index d57bcc7c8f..89f32d8358 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/gcloud/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/gcloud/machine.go
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ func (gm *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return gm.gc.SSH(gm, cmd)
 }
 
+func (gm *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (gm *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(gm, gm.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/openstack/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/openstack/machine.go
index 7d19b47062..33655251ad 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/openstack/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/openstack/machine.go
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ func (om *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return om.cluster.SSH(om, cmd)
 }
 
+func (om *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (om *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(om, om.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/packet/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/packet/machine.go
index 10768b1300..de6bb1384f 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/packet/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/packet/machine.go
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ func (pm *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return pm.cluster.SSH(pm, cmd)
 }
 
+func (pm *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (pm *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(pm, pm.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/machine.go b/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/machine.go
index 7fb8a9b093..faf2de2539 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/machine.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/machine/unprivqemu/machine.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package unprivqemu
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"time"
 
@@ -61,6 +62,15 @@ func (m *machine) SSH(cmd string) ([]byte, []byte, error) {
 	return m.qc.SSH(m, cmd)
 }
 
+func (m *machine) IgnitionError() error {
+	_, err := m.inst.WaitIgnitionError()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	// TODO render buf
+	return fmt.Errorf("entered emergency.target in initramfs")
+}
+
 func (m *machine) Reboot() error {
 	return platform.RebootMachine(m, m.journal)
 }
diff --git a/mantle/platform/platform.go b/mantle/platform/platform.go
index a723d0a447..aca335fc3a 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/platform.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/platform.go
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ type Machine interface {
 	// ID returns the plaform-specific machine identifier.
 	ID() string
 
+	// IgnitionError returns an error if the machine failed in Ignition
+	IgnitionError() error
+
 	// IP returns the machine's public IP.
 	IP() string
 
diff --git a/mantle/platform/qemu.go b/mantle/platform/qemu.go
index 6c90d3e6a9..50a2f0eb51 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/qemu.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/qemu.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package platform
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -51,6 +52,8 @@ type QemuInstance struct {
 	tmpConfig string
 	swtpmTmpd string
 	swtpm     exec.Cmd
+
+	journalPipe *os.File
 }
 
 func (inst *QemuInstance) Pid() int {
@@ -115,14 +118,73 @@ func (inst *QemuInstance) SSHAddress() (string, error) {
 	return "", fmt.Errorf("didn't find an address")
 }
 
+// Wait for the qemu process to exit
 func (inst *QemuInstance) Wait() error {
 	return inst.qemu.Wait()
 }
 
+// WaitIgnitionError will only return if the instance
+// failed inside the initramfs.  The resulting string will
+// be a newline-delimited stream of JSON strings, as returned
+// by `journalctl -o json`.
+func (inst *QemuInstance) WaitIgnitionError() (string, error) {
+	b := bufio.NewReaderSize(inst.journalPipe, 64768)
+	var r strings.Builder
+	iscorrupted := false
+	_, err := b.Peek(1)
+	if err != nil {
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			return "", nil
+		}
+		return "", errors.Wrapf(err, "Reading from journal")
+	}
+	for {
+		line, prefix, err := b.ReadLine()
+		if err != nil {
+			return r.String(), errors.Wrapf(err, "Reading from journal channel")
+		}
+		if prefix {
+			iscorrupted = true
+		}
+		if len(line) == 0 || string(line) == "{}" {
+			break
+		}
+		r.Write(line)
+	}
+	if iscorrupted {
+		return r.String(), fmt.Errorf("journal was truncated due to overly long line")
+	}
+	return r.String(), nil
+}
+
+// WaitAll wraps the process exit as well as WaitIgnitionError,
+// returning an error if either fail.
+func (inst *QemuInstance) WaitAll() error {
+	c := make(chan error)
+	go func() {
+		buf, err := inst.WaitIgnitionError()
+		if err != nil {
+			c <- err
+		} else {
+			// TODO parse buf and try to nicely render something
+			if buf != "" {
+				c <- fmt.Errorf("entered emergency.target in initramfs")
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+	go func() {
+		c <- inst.Wait()
+	}()
+	return <-c
+}
+
 func (inst *QemuInstance) Destroy() {
 	if inst.tmpConfig != "" {
 		os.Remove(inst.tmpConfig)
 	}
+	if inst.journalPipe != nil {
+		inst.journalPipe.Close()
+	}
 	if inst.qemu != nil {
 		if err := inst.qemu.Kill(); err != nil {
 			plog.Errorf("Error killing qemu instance %v: %v", inst.Pid(), err)
@@ -728,6 +790,17 @@ func (builder *QemuBuilder) Exec() (*QemuInstance, error) {
 			"-tpmdev", "emulator,id=tpm0,chardev=chrtpm", "-device", "tpm-tis,tpmdev=tpm0")
 	}
 
+	// Set up the virtio channel to get Ignition failures by default
+	journalPipeR, journalPipeW, err := os.Pipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "creating journal pipe")
+	}
+	inst.journalPipe = journalPipeR
+	argv = append(argv, "-device", "virtio-serial")
+	// https://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2015-December/msg00305.html
+	argv = append(argv, "-chardev", fmt.Sprintf("file,id=ignition-dracut,path=%s,append=on", builder.AddFd(journalPipeW)))
+	argv = append(argv, "-device", "virtserialport,chardev=ignition-dracut,name=com.coreos.ignition.journal")
+
 	fdnum := 3 // first additional file starts at position 3
 	for i, _ := range builder.fds {
 		fdset := i + 1 // Start at 1
diff --git a/mantle/platform/util.go b/mantle/platform/util.go
index f7c97dd272..4b48d37877 100644
--- a/mantle/platform/util.go
+++ b/mantle/platform/util.go
@@ -183,7 +183,19 @@ func StartMachineAfterReboot(m Machine, j *Journal, oldBootId string) error {
 
 // StartMachine will start a given machine, provided the machine's journal.
 func StartMachine(m Machine, j *Journal) error {
-	return StartMachineAfterReboot(m, j, "")
+	errchan := make(chan error)
+	go func() {
+		err := m.IgnitionError()
+		if err != nil {
+			plog.Infof("machine %s entered emergency.target in initramfs: %v", m.ID(), err)
+			errchan <- err
+		}
+	}()
+	go func() {
+		// This one ends up connecting to the journal via ssh
+		errchan <- StartMachineAfterReboot(m, j, "")
+	}()
+	return <-errchan
 }
 
 func GetMachineBootId(m Machine) (string, error) {